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Anxiety as residents fail to locate remains of ‘94 Genocide victims

MUHANGA – For two days running, residents searched in vain for remains of Genocide victims who were murdered at ADEPR Church in Nyabisindu. The information about the location of the remains was provided by François Gatorano aka Scania, a convicted Genocide perpetrator.

MUHANGA – For two days running, residents searched in vain for remains of Genocide victims who were murdered at ADEPR Church in Nyabisindu.

The information about the location of the remains was provided by François Gatorano aka Scania, a convicted Genocide perpetrator.

Local leaders and Gacaca officials, on Tuesday desperately dug all the seven areas suggested by Gatorano in his confession but no remains could be unearthed. It is estimated that more than 500 people were killed at the church premises.

The Gacaca Court president, Ildephonse Ndagijimana, blamed the church including Christians and pastors for concealing information on the where-abouts of the remains of the victims.

Residents say that to date, many pastors, who were implicated in the church massacres, have not been brought to book. Most of them are said to have fled the country.

Prominent among them include pastors - Jean Segahutu, Enock Nyandwi, Simone Pierre Gatera and his wife Maria Goretti Upfuyisoni who was a Member of Parliament for UNCDK- a Christian political party based in ex-Gitarama province.

However, sources say that these former members of the clergy have vehemently denied any responsibility for the massacres.

But survivors insist that the church was responsible for the death of many victims and blame the clergy for blocking efforts to prosecute those implicated in the killings-which they say affects reconciliation drives.